Letters 12-12-2012

Interesting article today regarding the closure of Kealakehe High school because of fights that appeared to be racially motivated.

From what I have heard first-hand from both students and employees of this high school, flagrant racism among the student body has been alive and well at this institution for many, many years running.

I am also told it has become extremely embedded in the Kealakehe culture, in part because those in power and with the ability to change this culture have basically turned a blind eye in the past.

I know parents who have sent their kids to other schools specifically to avoid the racism issues at this school.

Bottom line: It’s a pretty sad situation that any young student can’t pursue an education without being harassed based upon the color of his skin.

Even more sad, in the year 2012, there are still people in this world stupid enough to believe a person’s worth or character can be identified based upon his ethnic background.

Maybe Kealakehe should teach how wrong racism is before it jumps into math and English.

Eric Garrett

Kailua-Kona

athletic director

The next level?

Let me see if I have this right: Ohio State is undefeated but will not be playing undefeated Notre Dame for the national championship because it voluntarily penalized itself to avoid presumably harsher penalties by the NCAA.

OSU’s Ben Jay has been its senior associate athletics director during the whole five-year period where OSU broke enough rules (showed absurdly poor judgment and lack of due diligence?) to penalize itself temporarily into national oblivion.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are firing Athletic Director Jim Donovan because UH lost (at least $200,000) when he was driving the bus.

The Special Senate Committee on Accountability said a lack of oversight and communication among athletic department officials (and others) was basically his fault. The committee concluded UH could have avoided losing the money if officials (i.e., Jim Donovan) had performed better judgment and exercised due diligence on the folks who cheated UH out of the $200,000.

So, the senior associate athletic director who helped deny OSU a possible national title for failing to exercise due diligence and poor judgement is being hired by UH to “take it to the next level” because of his good judgment and due diligence ability? Auwe.

Maybe Gov. Neil Abercrombie and President M.R.C. Greenwood ought to sit down and think about this some more.

Lanric Hyland

Kapaau

Obama vacation

Fargo over Hawaii

Michelle Kerr nailed it on this one.

Rather than Obama spending Christmas in Hawaii, where he was born, and where his sister, (OK, half-sister), lives, he should spend the holiday in Fargo.